Second Thoughts
by DreamsInMyHeart16
Summary: Zuko and Katara start to find out about their ancestor and along the way of knowing, it brings them closer together or is that all apart of fate anyway? Zutara. Might be rated M in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Air Bender or none of its characters.

**Summary: **Zuko and Katara start to find out about their ancestor and along the way of knowing, it brings them closer together or is that all apart of fate anyway?

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**Chapter One**:

_Flowers_

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_"Chang'e!" He shouted to his wife, tears flowing profusely out his eyes as he reached for the beautiful woman that was leaving his reach. The woman also reached her arms out for him but she could not reach him either, she was moving farther and farther away toward the Moon._

_"Houyi, never forget, my love. I will always be with you." Her soft voice rang through his ears as he did not stop, he jumped in the air, and violently flailed his arms as his wife flew farther away._

_The great warrior sunk to his feet, his palms pressed against the sweet, dewy grass of heaven as his eyes were closed shut. He could not continue to watch his wife leave him. "I will always be with you too, Chang'e. In the next life... We will be together... Forever." His feelings and his promised were not heard by his wife who now lived on the moon. His piercing gold eyes never looked so dull, so angry, so lifeless.._

_:~:_

"You're not concentrating hard enough!" shouted the banished prince of the Fire Nation as he yelled as his pupil, the world's only hope. The Avatar. Zuko ran his fingers through his shaggy, black hair as he tried to comprehend why the boy could not focus on him or the bending but only on the water tribe peasant girl, who clearly did not take well with the prince. Aang smiled a crooked, nervous smile as he then begun to noticed that he wasn't concentrating at all but merely focusing his gaze on Katara.

Katara had been watching them train, she had nothing to do since she had finished washing the dishes and it was nowhere near dinner time, and she had finished a little warm up with water bending. Although she hated him, her eyes often found themselves looking at Zuko as he tried to make Aang master at fire bending. The prince had gotten stronger after learning the Dancing Dragon and she had to admit that in someway, she was impressed but she would never speak it out loud.

"Aang, you don't have to train today if you don't want to. In fact, you don't have to go against the Fire Lord! Just let him burn the Earth into nothing! Let him rule over and let everyone you love die in a fiery, painful, burning death!" Zuko shouted which startled both the air bender and the water bender. Aang looked down, his head hanging in a gloomy matter before a look of determination etched on his face.

"I'm sorry, Zuko. I will concentrate now. No more playing around." He said in a very mature and serious voice. Katara couldn't help but let a small smile tug the corner of her lips as she watched Aang start to pay more attention to the lesson. '_That realization is what he need. But I wonder what was keeping him preoccupied... Oh well, probably a memory of the Air benders..._' Thought Katara as she stood up and tried to look for something else to indulge herself in. The prince smiled in relief as the female left, maybe Aang wouldn't go back on his word or try to impress the peasant. Looking at his student, he tried to figure out a way to help Aang be more stronger in straight-forward attacks and instead of him sticking to more fleeing and defensive moves. He had to make the boy more aggressive.

Zuko narrowed his eyebrows just a bit, "Aang. You have to stop using Air bending moves in Fire Bending. Fire is aggressive while Air is defensive, if you try not to infuse the two with your type of fighting style, you'll never truly master controlling both elements." The ex-crown prince noted which made the air bender nod his head and decide to get more serious with the training.

"Seems like you're getting better, Twinkle toes." said Toph as she came strolling in. Her blind eyes moving looking at Aang.

"Thanks Toph. Wait, how would you know?" asked Aang as he and Zuko both stopped and looked at the heir of the Bei Fong family with curious eyes which only made the earth bender grin.

Her eyes slowly closed as she let out a small sigh. "You see... Being blind helps me see things that other people can't, right? Just because I cannot see with my eyes does not mean I cannot 'see', ya see?" Toph started which made them look at her with a look of understanding even though they forgotten that she could not see them. "Anyway, I can also read people's chi flow but I do not know pressure points like Ty Lee. Chi helps you get the flow of your element and usually with Aang, his chi with Fire Bending is always having difficulty of flowing." Opening her eyes once more, she looked down before blowing her bangs away from his face.

"Wow. It seems like it is better to be blind than to actually see, that way you don't have to see the horrible tragedies around us." Aang mumbled but Toph heard him, even though she disagreed with him she did not feel like arguing with him about that.

Zuko could see the small frown forming on Toph's face and so, he decided to lead this conversation in a different direction. "I guess that's enough training for today, Aang. We'll pick it up tomorrow morning. Dawn." With that said, he walked over towards the Bei Fong heiress and patted her shoulders to give her a sign that he understood and that made the young girl smile. "See ya later." He said dismissively which 'caused Aang to look his way.

"He's angry a lot." Aang finally spoke after a short period of silence.

"He has every right to be angry."

_:~:_

_I will walk into somebody's dwelling,_  
_Into somebody's dwelling will I walk._

_To thy dwelling, my dearly beloved,_  
_Some night will I walk, will I walk._

Sang Katara as she looked for medicinal herbs, just in case there was no water around since she couldn't always use her water bending in the heat of battle since she was always the first one to run short of water. Her head swayed side to side as she kept the rhythm of the song, picking all the herbs she knew she would need and although she wished her knowledge for them was more vast, she tried to work with what was given to her.

_Some night in the winter, my beloved,_  
_To thy dwelling will I walk, will I walk._

_This very night, my beloved,_  
_To thy dwelling will I walk, will I walk._

"Nice song." a voice said which completely made Katara's head whipped into the direction and to her surprise, it was Zuko. Looking at him with confusion before dwelling with embarassment her eyes slowly narrowed before she looked back at the flowers. "I didn't know you sang." It had been on his mind for sometime now to make peace with her even though she was unwilling to, he walked closer until he was kneeling beside her looking at the herbs.

"Why are you here?" asked the water tribe girl, her soft azure eyes never left the herbs as she placed more into a woven basket she found inside the temple.

"I wanted to talk to you." He admitted with a certain hint of uncertainty which piqued the waterbender's interest. Was he afraid of her? Slowly, her eyes left the medicinal herbs and then at the teenage boy beside her with amber eyes that seemed to be locked onto her face. Was he observing her? Never had he got a good look at her. Her skin was a caramel color, her eyes were almost blue as the sky, her hair was a rich chocolate brown that was usually in loopies but now it was free, revealing its thickness and wavyness.

Katara's eyes softened as she tried to think if she was offended or flattered by him staring at her so intensely like that but she decided not to dwell thoughts any longer. "About what?" she asked softly.

"I wanted to ask you.... If you knew any Fire Nation medicinal herbs? You know some Earth Kingdom and North Pole ones I see." Even though that was not the question he wanted to ask, he wanted to get on her good side just a little to make her more comfortable with him. Blinking several times, she shook her head at his question.

"No, can you give me a hand?" asked Katara as she tried to not let her anger towards him cloud her at this moment.

The ex-prince smiled inwardly as he lifted the head of a very beautiful purplish-blue flower that the waterbender thought wasn't used to medicine, "This is a Platycodon grandiflorus also known as a Bell flower. In the Fire Nation, we crushed this until it is in a gooey like state and rub on foreheads, chests, and noses when someone is ill. It helps open the chest when it is congested, it opens the nostrels when it is congested, and it helps soothe headaches." He explained as he softly tore it from its roots and placed it in her basket. "Usually, just one flower can help up to three people but since we exceeded the number of three, you will need just one more." Azure eyes looked at him with such admiration, how could the crown prince of the Fire Nation know something like that? "Also, it is a very tastey flavor in tea." He said while in thoughts of his uncle, who they had met not too long ago.

Katara smiled just a little before looking back at the other flowers. "I never knew such beautiful flowers had such beautiful gifts as well, usually the ugly flowers do all the work." Chuckling, she caught a faint snicker come from the prince and it shocked her. Had she ever truly heard him laugh before? Controlling himself, Zuko cleared his throat before scratching his cheek.

"True but there are a few more around here that I can help you with." Looking at her and then at the flowers, he wondered if things were always going to be in this comfortable silence between the two.

"I think this is enough for today, maybe tomorrow." Tilting her head to the side, she wondered what his reaction would be. Seeing that all she got was a nod, she stood up and started to head towards the old, abadndoned infirmary.

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Please Review!!

This song is something my great-grandmother use to sing. It's a traditional Native American song called "I Will Walk" It's a Chippewa tribe song that she said her friend use to sing since my great-grandmother is black foot Indian.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Air Bender or none of its characters.

**Summary: **Zuko and Katara start to find out about their ancestor and along the way of knowing, it brings them closer together or is that all apart of fate anyway?

* * *

**Chapter Two**:

_Sorrow_

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_"You do know there is a consequence for such actions if actions are not met, Houyi." said a man with a very long white beard that ended to his hips as his gray, straight hair ended to his ankles. The younger man looked at older one with a look of determination in his eyes._

_"I know and I am willing to do what I am suppose to do about your sons. All ten of them..." said Houyi as his eyes eventually looked down to the ground as he tried to figure out how he was going to take down the ten suns while keeping the Jade Emperors sons alive._

_The older man let a small smile dance across his face. "I see. May you have all the luck in the world. You have my permission to ask my servant's hand in marriage."_

_"Thank you." And with that said, Houyi ran to one of heaven's most serene places, the waterfall. It took him just an hour to get there by foot but he did not care because once he saw the lovely silhouette of his love, his heart soared and his legs forgotten their soreness. "Chang'e! Chang'e!" Houyi shouted with enthusiasm as the woman turned slowly, letting her chocolate brown hair shine from the sun above as the loopies in her hair swayed side to side from the small breeze. Azure eyes shined brightly with glee at the sight of their beloved._

_"Houyi... What are you doing here?" She asked in a rather soft tone of voice, her small hands linked together as she tried her best not to touch his face as he now stood in front of her. The man smiled a rather goofy smile as he kept his arms to his side, trying to resist the urge to embrace her. _

_His amber eyes that matched the sun in warmth and color looked around, avoiding her face but eventually they looked at her with fear in them. "I came here to tell you something. I know this is your favorite place so I figured I would find you here and what I might tell you, this place would be the best place to say what I have to say." Clearing his throat, he slowly reached to cup her hands and as he did so, the female's eyes widened just a bit before looking up at him with the same fear. "Would you... I mean will you be my wife?" He asked as his voice had gone hoarse._

_Chang'e eyes started to water as her bottom lip quivered, her eyes searched frantically in his to see if this was just a joke but she suddenly remembered that Houyi was not the one to play games. "Why me?" Even though that is not what she wanted to say but she was curious to why this great warrior loved her and not one of the beautiful Goddess out there, she was just a young, orphan servant in the Jade Emperor's palace. What could the great archer Houyi see in her and not the other beautiful women? _

_"Because you are beautiful as you are kind and I cannot imagine myself with anyone else. You are my best friend, Chang'e. I can trust you with my life and with my feelings, what more could I ask for? You're the only woman I know that is honest with her thoughts and feelings, I do not want a doll to warm my bed. I want a lover, a friend, a person I can count on through my roughest days or my last hours." His confession had brought the young girl to tears but these tears were not out of sadness but happiness and she gladly accepted the betrothal necklace he made for her. The symbols of fire and water fused together carved on a purple gem._

**_:~:_**

"What are we going to do?" asked Sokka as he ate his food with no proper etiquette but in a rather barbaric way. It had been days since they ate a good meal and to Sokka, well, he figured everyone should see how much he was starving.

Katara gave her brother a look of annoyance and disgust but she decided it was best not to talk about his eating matters but focus on what was important. The day of Sozin's comet. "Well, Aang still has difficulty with Fire Bending, so, he only has twelve weeks to master it which I hope he can. Other than that, we need to figure out where Fire Lord Ozai is going during the time of the comet." Looking at Zuko, she had wondered if he knew.

Zuko seeing her eyes looking to see if he knew the answer, he shook his head. "I have no idea. If I had stayed in the palace a little longer then I probably would have found out."

With a sigh, Katara looked at the fire that they sat around with a look of sadness in them. Later that night, Zuko had asked the master waterbender did she want to confront her mother's killer since at night he had been searching for him. So quick to agree the girl went even though Aang had thought it was bad decision because he felt that Katara would kill him. Without a second thought, the two left and when she met him, she knew that killing him would not bring her mother back and nor would it make her feel better since he was an old man suffering from living with his unbearable mother. During the journey back to the the temple, Katara sighed as she looked at Zuko with a look of gratitude, she had already forgiven him and embraced him for but when she did, she didn't want to escape the warmth of his embrace. It felt all too familiar to her for some odd reason.

When they reached the temple, the water tribe girl told her what happened and Aang couldn't of been more proud of his love. Zuko's thoughts were going back to the embrace he and Katara shared, somehow it felt familiar to him as well. As if they embraced before... Shaking his head, he looked at the three children with a small smile on his face before going to the garden. "We never hugged before. I guess I just am not use to hugs from a girl other than Mai and Jin." He thought out loud to himself.

_**:~:**_

Katara sat at the garden looking for medicinal herbs but actually, she was waiting for Zuko. Softly, she touched a bell flower and caressed its purple petal with her thumb. "You're getting more of them?" He asked while tilting his head to the side. Immediately looking up at him, she shook her head but couldn't help but giggle at the sight of his confused face. "What's so funny?" He asked with a rather serious expression. What was the humor in that question? Was there something on his face? Completely confused and embarrassed, he rubbed his face with his palms hoping whatever made him look funny would be removed.

"Oh, it's nothing." She said. "So, gonna help me find some more medicinal herbs?"

"I would but I think I need to rest, my head is throbbing." Rubbing his temples, he did not see the small frown that appeared on Katara's face.

"Maybe the bellflowers will help!" Katara grinned as she gently snapped one from it's roots. "Like you said, it soothes headaches, right?"

Zuko blinked a few times, kind of startled how she was willing to help him so enthusiastically. Like she liked taking care of him... "Uhm, well, yeah." Clearing his throat from the nervousness he felt from Katara's intense gaze as she pondered, he watched as her shoulders moved up in a shrug.

"Well, come to the infirmary." Waving her hand in a gesture for him to follow, he followed her and eventually stood beside her. He begun to notice how short she was compared to him and for some odd reason, he couldn't help but smile just a little. Looking at him from the corner of her blue eyes, she watched as he looked straight ahead. He looked like he knew where he was going even though he didn't and that made her smile inwardly. She had befriend him so easily after he helped her, it was like she felt the same feelings she felt at the catacombs in Ba Sing Se. Her heart felt warm as if it was engulfed in soothing flames. "Zuko… Have you ever had, you know, seconds thought about what you did in Ba Sing Se?" asked the waterbender as her big eyes looked up at him hopefully.

The teenage boy gave her a look of somewhat surprise and disappointment. "Yes. Things probably would of been more different if I hadn't of betrayed Aang, you, my uncle, and worst of all... Myself..." His voice softened as he realized that there was more he wanted to say, maybe it was best to get this out of his chest, "It still pains me to look at Aang. His face constantly reminds me of the look of his lifeless body of when my sister struck him because I helped her. Looking at you pains me the most because the look in your eyes never escaped me. That anger... That pain." Zuko voice was filled with resentment and something Katara had never thought the prince could feel... Sorrow. "I regret that day for so long and i will probably never forget it. I don't even know how Aang could forgive me as fast as he did unlike you who still held such a passionate hatred towards me." His eyes looked off at the sky as the clouds moved slowly and the wind blew in a rather rhythmic sway.

Katara felt tears forming at the corner of her eyes, she ran to him and embraced him tightly. Zuko wasn't sure how to react but his arms soon found themselves around her torso and his buried his face in her shoulder. "Don't hate yourself for it. I'm sure you thought betraying us was right at the time, you love your Country and your father. You just wanted it all back..." Soothed Katara as she felt her dress start to water at her right shoulder were the prince's head rested. _'He's crying?'_ She thought with disbelief but soon discovered her cheeks were wet with salt tears.

"Do not forsaken what I have done. I do not deserve your kindness, I made that clear when I had betrayed you in Ba Sing Se." His voice started to hoarse as fell all the anger, the regrets, and all the pain from his past mistake unleash himself and explore him. He refused to shed more tears but his heart and eyes did not agree with his pride. Soon her felt Katara's body tremble, whimpers escaping her. Why did she want to soothe his pain? Why did she feel obliged to do so? Why did she even care? All of those questions ran through both of their minds like a bullet train but they decided to bask in the comfort that they both sought in each others arms. But unbeknown to them, somebody had saw this.

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Please Review!!

Jeez. Everybody has it on alert and favorite but only three reviews? But I appreciate it. I hope I will get more reviews soon...


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